


Apocalypsis Noctis

by omenlucis



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poor Prompto, World of Ruin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28822797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omenlucis/pseuds/omenlucis
Summary: Following Noctis's return from within the crystal, Prompto was met with the harrowing prophecy his friend, the person he loved, was bound to fulfill. Driven by the desire to defy this fate, Prompto discovered that there was more behind his MT origins and was once again faced with who - what he truly was. For all that, he was determined to change the prophecy even if it demanded a great sacrifice.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45





	1. A Choice With No Regrets

**Author's Note:**

> I know it has been more than four years since this game was released, but I just picked it up hardly two weeks ago and the ending had me crying for an hour straight and now it's been two weeks since I finished it and I still cry every time I think about it so I decided to write an alternative ending to cope (though I really love the origial ending, its tragic yet written beautifully)
> 
> So if anyone is actually going to read this, I hope you enjoy the story.

It was ghost-quiet. The once peaceful, thriving forest seemed sinister in the darkness and was surrounded by daemons. Prompto watched them from afar, sitting on top of the motel roof he and Noct shared a very intimate conversation nearly ten years ago. It had become his favourite spot for that reason, though it was a rather reckless choice considering it was out in the open, deep within daemon territory and far from the last remains of civilisation.

But he didn't care, not anymore.

During the first years of the night, he managed to keep his positive energy up for as much as possible. Someone had to, that's what he told himself. It was what he was best at after all.

Years later, that image faded away slowly, piece by piece and he tried to play if off by acting as a tough solider, much like Gladio and Ignis did, too. Admittedly, that was what he became in the end, after he saw the aftermath of the nightfall.

All the injured refugees he tried saving, their corpses, torn apart by daemons, he found in the abandoned cities, and the misery the suvivors lived in, changed him. On the other hand, it also made him stronger. He became what he always wanted to be - a strong, fearless fighter who could keep up with his friends.

If only Noct was able to see him like this. Would he tell him the same thing he did years ago, that he was already enough? Or would he playfully tease him for it while ruffling through his hair despite knowing how much Prompto cared about his hairstyle?

It was a thought that didn't cross his mind very often, he was too occupied with keeping himself and his friends alive. Only in moments like this, he was able to breathe and think of something else and somehow, his mind always carried him back to the old days. To Noct.

Noct, who was his only friend for years, who always made sure he felt like he belonged by his side and had a place in the group. Noct, who had no idea how much those acts of kindness really meant to Prompto. It was as if every second he spent with him, Prompto's feelings for him grew deeper.

When Prompto opened up about how he felt in the past, how his shy and insecure nature made him feel worthless and Noctis comforted him, he wanted to say it. He wanted to say how every hug made his heart flutter, how every moment spent with him filled him with joy, but in the end, he never did.

And perhaps he will never be able to.

The thought was truly frightening, it scared him more than the pack of daemons which began to notice his presence and drew closer towards him.

His younger self would have panicked already, but this Prompto who fought his way through hundres of these creatures alone, remained still. 

He grabbed the sniper he always carried on his back in a swift movement and was quick to aim at the Iron Golem which approached him, carefully observing its movement through the scope of his weapon. He waited, remained calm, and took a deep breath before pulling the trigger and landing the shot right between its eyes. The creature dropped down immediately and vanished in a puddle of dark malice.

The other two followed and Prompto let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't always this easy, but luck seemed to be on his side for once and the aim training paid off, he had barely missed a shot lately.

His victory was rather short-lived as he could already see more of the dark substance emerging from the shadows.

He had to leave.

It was foolish of him to leave the safety of Hammerhead when there was technically no need to, but seeing how each day less of his companions returned from their missions consumed his mind to the point he wasn't able to take it anymore. He didn't want to see it and clear his thoughts for at least a moment.

So Prompto left alone, without telling anyone, to visit his favourite place to reminisce about the old days.

Now that he thought about it, it was quite a pathetic thing to do.

When Prompto jumped down from the musty motel roof, reality struck him like a lightning and he suddenly remembered why he stayed up there for not only mere moments, but multiple hours. His swollen ankle made it nearly impossible to run and his sore muscles screamed at him to stop moving so abruptly.

"I'm such an Idiot.", he hissed in pain, moving forward nevertheless.

If only he paid more attention to his surroundings this injury wouldn't have happened in the first place, but Prompto was too busy trying to shoot the daemons which followed him so it wasn't a surprise that he tripped over and twisted his ankle.

His aching muscles were somehow bearable, it hurt, but pain was constant companion to him and he learned how to suppress it. His ankle was a problem, but if he managed to reach his motorcycle in time, he would be able to escape.

"C'mon Prompto, you can do it.", he said to himself, limping towards the parked vehicle.

If he died before Noctis' return, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Though daemons were one hell of a force to fight against, they weren't exceptionally smart and so Prompto managed to escape,just barely avoiding the swinging sword of an Iron Golem.

The cold airstream blew through his messy hair and Prompto's mind drifted back to earlier days where the four of them sat together in the Regalia and he would make fun of Ignis' ruined hair with Noctis. A weak smile sneaked on his face. He missed it.

Using a motorcycle instead of the armoured jeeps Cindy provided for them in Hammerhead was yet another reckless idea of Prompto, but he all he wanted was to get rid of the gruesome images he had seen. Alone. 

A few weeks passed since and then and the food shortage had only gotten worse. The little amount of animals which survived were hunted down and mostly sent to Lestallum where the wide majority of people lived. Well, living sounded too luxurious. They were caged, forced to retreat and live behind defensive walls with little space. It was safe, at least, but Prompto chose to stay in Hammerhead with his friends where he convinced himself he was doing something to help others.

Even with that in mind, he felt so utterly helpless. There was a sting in his chest at the sight of what had become of his friends. Gladio and Ignis argued about who of them should lead the next operation to gather food for the hunters stationed in Hammerhead. It wasn't new to see these two arguing, it happened often in the past, but this was entirely different. Their voices echoed hollowly in the nearly empty concrete room that functioned as their headquarters and there was no sign of playful bickering or teasing in their voices like it used to be. They sounded exhausted, drained and yet they were determined to keep fighting.

Prompto admired that, he really did.

"I understand your concern, Gladio, but I'm afraid we will be out of resources if we don't choose to take action now.", Ignis said thoughtfully.

"Great. We don't have enough supplies and neither do we have enough people to send out to change that.", Gladio grunted, crossing his arm. "So, what now, Ignis? Any idea?"

Ignis remained silent.

Prompto knew how bad the situation really was, but it shocked him to see that even Ignis, the smartest and most strategically thinking person he knew, was clueless.

Yesterday, they lost five people on their way to fish at Galdin Quay, one of the last places where fishing was a viable option. A Necromancer caught them off guard and it was enough to shred the five young hunters into pieces, Prompto and Gladio were the only ones who survived, barely so. It added a new scar to Gladio's cheek, but he simply brushed it off by saying it made him look more badass. Prompto was fine, apart from having to throw up at least three times on their way back.

And thus Gladio and Ignis considered whether it was worth to attempt fishing at Galdin Quay again, or to focus on an entirely different area. They had to come up with a solution quickly before the shortage got worse.

"I'll do it.", Prompto said with a confident voice.

Gladio and Ignis shifted their attention to Prompto who had remained silent until now. Ignis was the first to speak. "You ought to get some rest before going out again. Besides, -"

"This wasn't a question.", he answered, "I'll go. Alone."

Gladio laughed. "Didn't know you were so eager to get yourself killed."

But Prompto's gaze remained sharp, his expression stiff. "It's better if I go alone. Think about it. I can use my motorcycle to get there, Cindy's just finished tuning it.", he explains, "It's faster and way more agile than the jeeps. I can avoid the daemons until I get there and if it gets too risky, I can return just as fast."

No one responded right away, but Ignis seemed to carefully consider his words. It was the best possible solution and they all knew it. "I'm gonna be okay guys, please trust me on this."

"Fine.", Ignis said finally and Prompto gave him a weak smile. They trusted him.

Gladio huffed but didn't intervene any further. "You better not get yourself killed out there kid."

" 'course not, I mean, someone's gotta make sure you smile at least once a year, right? I'll be back in a few hours."

He quickly rushed outside to gather his equipment, made sure all his weapons were locked and loaded and refuelled his motorcycle when Cindy came up to him. "Where are ya going? Thought you were set to rest for a while." It was her usual cheerful voice Prompto loved hearing so much, but concern was written all over her face.

It felt good to know that there were people who actually cared about Prompto's well-being, on the contrary, it was hard for him to enjoy these little moments together with the thought that every conversation could be their last lingering in his mind.

"I was meant to, but there's no one we could've sent in my place, too many casualities.", he sighed.

"Seems like I shall start to call ya Mr. Reckless instead of Mr. Camerman now, watcha think?", she said and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's no daemon that could possibly catch up to ya after the changes I made, but don't overestimate it and...come back in one piece."

Prompto chuckled lightly. Mr. Reckless suited him a lot more, it had been years since he last used his camera, there was just no time nor did he have the energy to look at the old photos and pretend like it didn't hurt him to see what they once had and failed to keep.

"Sure thing.", he answered. "I would miss our late night talks way too much in the afterlife. Can you open the gate for me?"

She nodded slightly amused and opened the heavy iron gates, not missing the chance to give him a brief peck on the cheek before he set off, it had become her way of wishing him luck and Prompto didn't mind it, especially because he still felt guilty about turning her down last year and telling her the blank truth about his feelings for Noctis. Thankfully, she understood it and promised to keep it a secret.

Prompto waved at her before leaving the small facility of Hammerhead and drove down the empty road. The darkness used to scare him, it felt overwhelming and he was crushed by the sheer feeling of being trapped in it. Prompto used to never leave by himself, it was mostly Gladio who accompanied him, though that meant he had to put up with Gladio's constant bickering about him being scared in the dark.

It was truly ironic how the biggest coward of the group was now the one fighting all by himself. Prompto, who had always been scared of daemons the most. Prompto, who had always insisted to travel at daytime only and never enter any dungeons - of course they did that regeardless of his whining - was now alone.

But he got this. He had to.

The moon shone down brighter than it had when Prompto left, barely granting enough light for him to recognize the shore of Galdin Quay in the distance. So far he managed to avoid the daemons, but he was sure that would change soon. The closer he got to the beach, the more creatures emerged from the dark substance he detested so much and he knew he had to take them out first before he was able to get any closer.

He stopped halfway on top of the hill to take out his sniper. Everything that happened afterwards was routine to Prompto and he felt like his hands moved on their own, felt almost mechanical how effortlessy he aimed the scope and how easily he flicked the shot that hit the daemon's head with a devastating blow. He felt a wave of satisfaction and confidence rolling over him and his lips curled up into a smile. Maybe this was why Iggy and Gladio had faith in him.

Most of the remaining daemons had noticed him by now, but he managed to shoot each one down before anything could get within close range. By the end, he was out of ammunition for his sniper.

After checking the shore through his scope to make sure it was all clear, he put the sniper in the holder on his back and sneaked down to the beach.

He forced back a surge of memories that were threatening to overcome him and took a deep breath at the sight of the fishing place. Noct tried teaching him how to fish at this spot, with little success. It took only ten minutes until both of them landed in the sea, mainly because Prompto called Noct's passion boring and the prince gladly kicked him down the bridge for saying that and Prompto revenged himself by pulling Noctis down in the water too. It ended with both of them catching a cold and a scolding from Ignis, but it was worth it.

Something about this whole situation felt strange. It went too smooth and Prompto wondered if it was thanks to his skill or if he overlooked an important detail.

There was no time for standing around lost in thought, so he stepped closer to the fishing dock to cast the net, which appeared to be way more difficult to use alone than in a group of four to five people when he suddenly felt a painful sting all over his body, travelling down his spine. The blood in his veins felt like it was on fire and he dropped helplessy to the ground, paralyzed, unable to move an inch.

He forgot to check the caves on the other side of the shore.

It was an Arachne which had stung him, no doubt about that. A venomous female spider-hybrid, that much he was able to figure out before he felt his brain drifting slowly into unconsciousness. In the end, he didn't keep his promise, Cindy, Iggy and Gladio were right.

The last thing he saw was a flash of blue light and the edge of a sword before the darkness welcomed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


	2. Seeking Resonance

Black dots swirled around in Prompto's field of vision, blurring the line between reality and the pitch-black darkness he had slipped into after being stung by the daemon. It was hardly possible to distinguish any concrete details, a narrow silhouette was the only outstanding thing he could make out. Prompto wondered if it belonged to the daemon and if he was going to watch the creature devour him, but as the dots slowly started to fade out, the figure appeared to be too small to be that of a daemon. If anything, it looked human.

There were sounds in the distance, a voice, he figured, it was calling his name. He wanted to answer, but not a single word escaped his lips. Not only his lips, his whole body seemed to refuse him and he was starting to panic until something shook him violently, ripping him out of whatever had engulfed him.

"Hey Blondie.", the voice said, a way too familiar voice. "You there with me?"

Prompto would have recognized this voice amongst a thousand.

He blinked his yes open, his vision had finally cleared and hovering above him was, without a doubt, Noctis. It was a different Noct than the one who lived in his memories, different than the carefree but reserved prince he used to play in the arcade with. This Noctis had King Regis' devotion and determination glimmering in his dark eyes and Prompto wanted to shy away from his sharp gaze just like he used to shy away from the intimidating audiences with the king.

Nuances of concern flashed across Noct's face until his expression softened and the smug grin which followed was enough for Prompto to realize that he had been staring at him for the whole time without saying a word.

"Damn, you look old buddy.", he finally groaned and tried moving his stiff limbs. "Wait, if you are here...are we in the afterlife!?"

Noctis laughed and shook his head. "No, but you were close. The hell were you doing alone out here?"

Prompto did not answer right away, he sat up, ignoring his aching neck, which was probably the spot where he had been stung, and took a moment to take a closer look at Noctis, just to make sure this wasn't the aftermath of the venom and he was hallucinating. Eventually he reached out to ruffle through Noct's messy hair and let out an eased sigh, it felt real, he wasn't hallucinating. Noct returned.

"Are you done pawing at me?", Noctis asked with a teasing undertone and Prompto, whose cheeks started to heat up, wanted to explain, when suddenly he noticed how much Noct was shaking, his lips matching the colour of his icy blue eyes. And of course he was, who knows how long Prompto had been unconscious and Noct left alone in the cold with nothing but the same sleeveless jacket he wore ten yeras ago when he vanished.

Since the everlasting night begun, the temperature was just a little more forgiving than the cold climate in Gralea and Prompto got so used to wearing cold protection clothes for hours that he usually didn't bother about having a spare jacket with him.

"Here, take my jacket." He got back up on his feet to take off his jacket and draped the coat around Noct's shivering shoulders. "But what about you?", Noct asked.

"Don't worry about me, besides, I'd rather not have the future King of Lucis die on me because he was too stubborn to put on a coat.", Prompto said and tried to hide the shudder that overcame him as the cold wind touched his bare skin. Maybe wearing a tank top underneath the four-layer coat wasn't the best fit.

Noct gave him a worried look, but was thankful for the gesture and Prompto had a hard time trying to hold back the urge to pull him into a tight hug and never let go. Despite their closeness and being very fond of each other's company, there were hardly any moments where the two got close on a physical level. Sure, they had shared a bed or a tent countless times before which most of the time ended up with Prompto waking up on top of Noctis - that was something he was so embrarassed about, not even Noct used it against him to tease him. Or sometimes he slapped Noct's ass to get his attention, but that was all just being silly with his best friend.

Certainly not because Prompto didn't want to, Astrals, he craved Noct's touch more than anything, but he would never go out of his way and overstep his personal boundaries.

So instead, he simply put a hand on his shoulder and said: "It's good to see you again."

"I was gone for ten years and the first thing I did was save your life because you were, for whatever reason, alone and this what I get?", Noct's voice floated through the freezing night and Prompto wasn't quite sure what else he expected him to do.

"What now, you wanna kiss or something?", Prompto answered jokingly to release the weird tension Noct's words left hanging in the air.

"Well, that would have been a much warmer welcome, don't you think?" And Prompto was dazzled. "Speaking of warm, why don't we go back to...uh, wherever you live right now, before you turn into an ice sculpture ." He pointed towards the parked motorcycle on the hill.

Prompto tried not to be irritated with Noctis for dropping something like this. There was never a moment where kissing was a part of their daily bickering, so he just gave it a small nod. "Yeah, let's head back to Hammerhead.", he said and for a short moment he thought to have seen a flash of disappointment glinting in Noct's eyes.

Standing in front of the motorcycle, Prompto became painfully aware that it wasn't made to seat two people, it had been modified to have room specifically for supplies and to carry weapons as much as other equipment you ought to have with you out here. "Uh...it doesn't have much space or handles for you to hold on to, so..."

"So I'll have to hold onto you? Gotcha." The next thing Prompto felt were Noct's arms clinging around him and his body pressing against Prompto's. "Didn't think I would ever see you driving such a fancy thing, you better not cause a crash.", Noctis said and placed his head on his shoulder.

He was close, so very close, Prompto could feel his breath tickling his neck.

" 'course not, I'm a good driver." Noctis laughed at that, probably thinking about how the first (and last) time he was allowed to drive the Regalia, Ignis had to make sure he was focused on the road instead of the conversation the other two had in the back five times a minute. It had been more of a lecture than a car ride, that was for sure.

For a while, no one said anything. Not even Prompto who was usually the talkative one, but right now, he just wanted to absorb every second of this moment and not think about anything else. He wondered if Noct enjoyed it as much as he did.

The first one to break the silence was Noctis, still holding tight onto Prompto. "So, how'd you even end up in that situation? No way Specs let you go all by yourself just like that."

"He didn't have much of a choice", Prompto explained, "I would have left regardless of his answer."

"Thought as much."

Prompto spent the rest of the ride explaining the stituation to Noct, briefly summing up how they somehow made it through the first years until they established proper methods for survival, but left out how few actually survived these cruel first years. He mentioned everyone's position, Ignis being their strategist and Gladio the one who usually led the hunters during their missions as the strongest soldier they had. Noct listened carefully in silence and waited until Prompto finished.

Of course he also left out the many times he sneaked out to sit on the motel roof for hours, most of these spent with teary eyes and an aching heart.

Or the countless sleepless nights where he buried himself deep within memories of times where deciding between camping or booking a hotel was the most difficult decision.

"I'm sorry.", Noctis' voice came out as a mere whisper and if his head wasn't resting on Prompto's shoulder, the wind would have swallowed his words completely. "For leaving everyone behind for so long."

Prompto tilted his head slightly towards Noct and smiled. "I'm just glad you're back. I...we all missed you."

By the time they arrived back in Hammerhead, Prompto was as cold as ice, shaking and trembling like a leaf. Not a single soul was to be seen except for one higher ranked hunter who kept watch and opened the gate for them. The rest must be sleeping, or at least trying to get some rest. Sleep had become a luxury not everyone could afford to the same extent due to the constant need to be on the alert.

Without further ado, Prompto walked past the front row of buildings, namely the headquarters and Cindy's workshop, and approached a smaller set of accomodations where he and the others lived. Hands still trembling, he reached in his pocket to take out the key to his room, but hesitated before pushing the door open.

"We don't have a spare room.", he mumbled. "But there are two beds in each. You can join Gladio or Ignis too, if you want, I can show you their rooms or-"

He was cut off by a gentle pat on the back and Noctis pushing him inside the small room. "Gladio's snoring is horrible and Specs gets up way too early, I'd rather stay with you." And Prompto felt his heart flutter, suddenly not feeling as cold anymore. "If you want to, of course.", he added quickly.

"Hm, what did my humble self accomplish to deserve such an honor and sleep in the presence of royalty?" Prompto said in his most formal voice, the same he used when he tried to imitate Ignis and bowed down in a way too excessive manner. It earned him a hearty laughter from Noctis. "You haven't changed at all."

Prompto knew he was too old to play the blushing bride and as a grown man it was ridiculous to get excited over such a simple action, but he missed hearing Noct's laugh, he missed messing around with him and oh, did he miss sleeping next to him. For now, he didn't care if he acted childish as long as he could spend some time with his friend. It was the lull before the storm, soon there would be no time for playful conversations anymore and he was well aware of that.

"There are some clothes in the cupboard if you want to change into something more comfortable.", Prompto said while changing into a sweater and slipped under his blanket right after. A way better feeling than outside in the cold.

His eyes fell shut, exhaustion from hunting and nearly being killed flooded him. Mind already zoning out and drifting towards sleep, he felt a weight next to him on the bed and opened his eyes confusedly to see Noct, now dressed in his pullover and sweatpants, laying down next to him. "You're still cold, aren't you?", Noct asked, drawing himself closer to Prompto due to the small size of the bed.

"Does that mean I get to use you as my pillow?" Prompto asked and hesitantly put his arms around Noctis, holding him close. He couldn't see Noct's expression as he was facing him with his back, so he just assumed Noct would tell him if he felt uncomfortable. "As if you haven't done that before.", he replied soothingly.

To say Prompto was a little overwhelmed was an understatement.

Emotions pulled and pushed him around and he wondered why Noctis was so overly touchy with him, more than he had been ten years ago. Perhaps the time in the crystal had changed him. Prompto tried to imagine what it must have been like. Was it just an empty nothingness he had been trapped in and now this was his way of saying he was glad to see him again? He didn't know.

Whatever the reason was, he needed to stop overthinking this or he was never going to fall asleep this night.

"G'night, Noct.", Prompto whispered, unsure if the other was already asleep and could hear him.

There is sort of an irony in how Prompto kept telling himself he wanted to wait for the right time to tell Noct, carefully considering every moment, putting an effort in acting according to the mood, things he normally didn't bother with and now that it seemed like the right moment, he didn't say anything. Regardless of how straighforward Prompto used to speak his thoughts out loud, bluntly even, he felt so tiny at the thought of Noct rejecting him. Though he would probably do it in the most gentle way, it would hurt nonetheless.

God, he felt like a teenager. Humanity was on the brink of extinction and his friend needed his help more than ever and he was thinking about his silly little crush. Astrals, it was so selfish.

He promised Noct to remain by his side, to aid him, not to distract him with feelings.

"Prom?" He shrugged lightly, surprised to see Noct had been awake all the time.

"I can't sleep. To be honest...I'm scared.", Noctis spoke quietly into the blanket, as if his words weren't meant to be heard.

Prompto didn't need to see his face to know how vulnerable and geniue Noct's expression was. "About returning to Insomnia? We're gonna kick Ardyn's ass and reclaim the throne, don't worry pal! And after we're done there'll be a huge ceremony to celebrate your crowning.", he tried to encourage Noct, but his effort seemed to be in vain, Noct not in the mood to put up with his poor attempts to cheer him up.

So he tried again. "Ever at your side, remember?", this time with more composure. And he meant it.

"I know, it's just..." Noct paused for a moment. "What if there is no after we beat Ardyn?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


	3. The Night Unfurls

The words were spoken full of foreboding in a way that made Prompto feel unsettled about the meaning those words carried. He could tell there was more behind it than just the sole fear of not being able to win the battle against Ardyn. Noct knew something he didn't before and Prompto was certain what happened in the crystal was the reason for that, perhaps the Astrals spoke to him again, it happened before and caused him pain as well as trouble. Though he wanted to know what was on his friends mind, he didn't urge Noct to continue speaking.

Instead, he caressed his back to let him know it was alright if he didn't want to talk about it, to let him know he was there for him.

Noctis shifted away from him and Prompto withdrew his hand immediately, about to scold himself in a long interior monologue for taking it too far as Noct took Prompto's hand in his and held it tight, clutching onto it as if to gather strength to unveil his thoughts.

"Bahamut spoke to me in the crystal.", he said, his voice was shaking as he spoke. "He revealed the true prophecy, confirmed what Ignis foreshadowed." His knuckles turned white by how much he was gripping Prompto's hand and a sob escaped his lips.

Prompto felt as if someone shot him right in the heart.

It wasn't like he heard this for the first time. But before, it was merely a speculation Ignis hinted at after they left Altissia and everything went downhill. They thought continuing their journey would shed some light on possible alternative ways to ban Ardyn and end the Starscourge, a way which didn't require the king to turn into sacrificial lamb.

Prompto allowed himself a laughter. An empty, hollow sound.

He felt so helpless.

To his surprise, Noct did the same. He laughed, pressed a kiss to Prompto's hand and sat up to face him directly. "Ironic how I told you about my dreams after becoming the King of Lucis, isn't it?" The dim moonlight hovered over Noct's face and revealed a single tear running down his cheek which then landed on the back of Prompto's hand. It sparkled, even in the dark.

Legacy and fate were the two heavy weights placed upon Noctis' shoulders since birth, it was his duty to carry these burdens, there was no running for what you have been assigned to be by the Astrals. Even the Lucis bloodline was powerless against The Six.

And it felt so unfair to him. It felt so unfair to know that the reason behind Noct's entire existence was to sacrifice himself to atone for the sins his forefathers comitted. Their entire journey, everything they had been through to get to this point, felt meaningless. Prompto coulnd't even cry.

"Come on. Say something...please." It was pure despair that was speaking out of Noctis, it ripped Prompto away from his sinister thoughts and threw him back into reality.

He wanted to say something, tell him that everything was going to be alright as long as the four of them stayed together, but deep down he knew it was just an utopian illusion he hid behind. There was nothing he could say that would put his feelings into words.

The silence dragged on until Prompto composed himself enough to look into Noct's fragile expression. He swiped the tears in his face away in a gentle, loving motion, fearing he would shatter under his touch any second and pressed a kiss to his friends lips. A storm of sensations set off within him the moment their lips clashed, the longing he felt during Noctis' absence, the passion he forged during their adventure, the sorrow and grief that came with the reveal of the prophecy all streamed through him and when he felt Noct returning the kiss, he couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

Nothing else mattered in that moment, the world around them faded out and the only thing on Prompto's mind was the feeling of Noct's raw lips moving against his own and the salty taste of their grievous tears. His tears flooded even more at the thought that this could be their first and last kiss like this.

Soon, perhaps even tomorrow, the four of them would leave Hammerhead, return to Insomnia and face Ardyn in the Citadel which was going to be Noctis final battle.

It truly wasn't fair.

The delight of the blissful kiss they shared shrouded them even as their lips parted and Prompto, now aware of their short-lived remaining time together, finally worked up the courage to say something. "Noct, I'm sorry I never told you about my true feelings, it's just that I was barely able to talk to you at all and I know we're just bros-"

"Prompto.", Noct interrupted his surge of words. "I knew that all along. After all, you're my best friend, right? What kind of friend would I have been if I didn't notice?" Prompto wanted to say something, but was stopped by Noct who put a finger on his lips. "I know what you want to say.", he continued, "I feel the same. I just didn't know how to deal with my feelings let alone how to actually show them. I'm sorry too, Prompto."

In the end, they were both fools and Prompto wished he could go back in time and confess his feelings sooner, but deep down, a part of him also felt freed. Freed from the beating headspace he built up and locked himself away in for daring to have feelings for the Crown Prince, a Lucis Caelum. There were times where he felt not only worthless, but guilty too that a Niff with tainted blood like his even felt this way.

It was as though Noct's words shattered his mental prison into tiny pieces and Prompto was finally able to breathe, feeling validated.

"I won't let the Gods take you away from me.", he said determined, gripping Noct's hand more firmly. "There's gotta be a different way. Seriously dude, they can't just toy around with the King of Lucis like that."

"You know what? Let's just enjoy tonight, put the Astrals and everything associated with them away. Tonight, I just want to make up for what I missed in the past ten years. We can worry about the rest in the morning. You with me?"

Prompto nodded eagerly. "Ever at your side."

They started off by looking through all the pictures on Prompto's camera. Pictures of them pushing the Regalia down the dusty road along the hot desert of Leide followed by snapshots of Cindy joining them later during their late evening conversations. Pictures taken during their hardfought battles with daemons in the darkest of the nights and in the deepest depths of Lucis' dungeons. Pictures with Iris, Talcott and all the friends they've made along the way. But most importantly, pictures of them as a group, around the campfire, in the Regalia, on top of the highest mountains and across all the landscapes the country had to offer. Looking back, Prompto was grateful for every single moment he shared with his friends, the first true friends he has ever had.

Soon they were done looking through the photos, camera tossed on the second bed across the room as the two shared more and more passionate kisses. It had gotten really warm all of a sudden in the dull concrete room and the next thing that was carelessy thrown next to the camera were their clothes.

Ironically, Prompto never wanted this night to end.

In the morning, a loud knock echoing form the metal door draggd them out of their dreamy mood and they found themselves tangled up in each others arms, barely rested. It was Ignis voice which followed the knock. "Would your highness mind interrupting his precious naptime to greet an old friend?" A small laughter escaped Prompto's lips at the way Ignis delivered this sentence, it was clear he tried his best to not overflow with excitement.

"In other words, get your ass over here and say hello.", Gladio added.

They quickly put on some clothes before Prompto rushed to open door, nearly ran over in the next instant by Gladio who stepped into the room alongside Ignis. He decided to give them some space and backed away, waiting until the three exchanged their welcome.

A few moments later, the group stood around the broad table in the middle of the headquarters, papers and maps sprawled out in front of them. Most of these were reports and protocols of various negotiations composed by Ignis' assistants. Noct had just filled the remaining two in and the silence in the room felt heavy and thick.

Ignis seemed to consider the prophecy Noctis wrote down on one of the papers carefully word by word, as if he was looking for a clue between the lines, a possible loophole. Though the chances to find a loophole in an ancient prophecy the Astrals manifested over centuries for mankind to fulfil were rather pathetic.

"You think Ardyn made it so that we can't evade Noct's fate?", Gladio asked, finally ending the silence between them. "I doubt Ardyn was involved, it appears to me that he, too, was a victim of his fate.", Ignis answered and asked Noct to repeat the words one more time for him to memorize them properly.

"How so? We don't know his whole story." Noct let out a frustrated sigh.

As soon as they dug deeper into discussing Ardyn's role in the grand scheme of things, Prompto's attention shifted away from the conversation. Ardyn genuinely freaked him out, even speaking his name out loud unveiled memories Prompto preferred to have casted far away in the back of his head. Considering all the time that had passed, the information available about him was as sparse as it could get.

His sheer motivation seemed to get his revenge on the Lucis bloodline, but there had to be more behind it. He thought Noctis was able to shed some light on the puzzle after talking to an Astral eye-to-eye, but he didn't mention any of the sort.

The more Prompto thought about him, the more images started to flash in front of his eyes, recreating the terrifying events which took place after Noctis pushed him off the train. He saw his younger self celebrating the victory over Besithia's atrocious experiment only to find himself chained up and restrained in the center of Gralea later, left alone with Ardyn.

Ardyn talked in riddles, whether it was to make a fool out of Prompto to worsen his already miserable situation or his words carried an actual meaning, he never figured that part out. For most of the time he cursed his brother which then proceeded with cursing the Astrals, specifically Bahamut. Called him a disgrace and swore to thwart his plans so he could put an end to the suffering. Back then, Prompto was intimidated by the sole thought of cursing the name of one of The Six as they used to inspire awe and deep admiration to him, though now he understood. He really wanted to throw all kind of curses right at Bahamut's face.

His hands began to sweat nervously as he recalled the exact sentences Ardyn said to him.

"I'm afraid your friends found out the truth behind your existence. Truly a shame to witness your precious bond break apart." Ardyn's words resounded in his head and Prompto couldn't even run away from it, just like last time. The moment he said that, he believed every single word Ardyn said. He believed Noct hated him despite what Aranea told him prior when they were sitting at the campfire together.

"Though I must admit, I quite enjoyed being a bystander in your story. If only there was a way to defy fate." Prompto would never forget how disgraceful he spat those words in his face, he remembered how much his heart ached and shook his head to cleanse his mind.

"If only the Sealed Seventh blessed you with her grace we could transcend the darkness together and put an end to this torturous nightmare. The clock inches forward, but never stands still, you ought to hurry." The Ardyn in his mind sounded way too authentic for his liking, but what caught him off guard was the content of his words.

He had no idea why this phrase out of all the things he said was carved into his consciousness all of a sudden. The words rung back and forth in his skull, repeating themselves countless times until Prompto stumbled backwards and had to grip the edge of the table to prevent himself from falling over. Everyting seemed to spin around him, gasping for air, he tried to form a coherent sentence.

"Guys, I...", he stuttered, "I think there's something Ardyn tried to tell me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


	4. Nighttime Rebel

"The Sealed Seventh?", Noctis asked in response to Prompto's explanation. None of them seemed to have heard this name before and Prompto wasn't sure if it was relevant after all if not even Noctis knew the meaning behind it. "That sounds like another one of his mind games, I don't buy it. We need to stay put and focus on the task ahead."

It still felt quite odd to see Noct so conscientious. He was just carrying out his royal duty, but it was as though the apathetic, introverted prince who repressed his emotions at any given chance, the Noctis Prompto was familiar with, had fully blended in with the new image of a thoughtful, confident king who was at peace with himself. And Prompto wasn't sure what was worse - to know that Noctis was at peace with himself dying and bending to the will of the Astrals or to be completely powerless and watch the tragedy unfold.

"Guys...I know this is tough for us all, but I can't and I won't falter. The Astrals have guided me until the end, I trust their perception that this is what I must do in order to protect those dear to me...as the King of Lucis, I will save my people."

The spoken words stood between them, tall and unwavering. Everyone present was aware of the weight they carried and Prompto just wanted to burst out into tears. In tears of a mix of joy and grief.

Joy, because he was proud of who Noctis had become. He was Lucis' entire pride, a symbol of hope for many and Prompto was truly, wholeheartedly proud of him.

Grief, because he was still his best friend who he loved dearly. Noctis was someone who believed in him when no one else did, he couldn't recall a single moment where Noct wasn't there for him when he needed him and to lose a person like that, your other half, was an abysmal hit to take.

It was surprising even to Prompto himself how clear and steady his voice sounded when he started speaking. "Hey Noct, you have our full support, wherever you may go, we'll follow. But what will Lucis be without its King? The world has already lost the Oracle, with the last remaining member of the Lucis Caelum bloodline all magic will vanish from this world." All eyes in the room were fixated on him and he hesitated, clearing his throat. He didn't know what he was saying, the words just focred themselves out of his mouth.

"I mean, uh, we have so many injured, nearly half of the current population. Even though the crystal is gone now, you still have its blessing. How are we gonna recover without the healing magic? And y'know, the wall? The daemons and Niflheim might be gone for now, but who's guaranteeing that the peace will last forever? It's just...we have already spent ten years in the darkness, what's a few days more? We could look into it, at least.", Prompto finished his monologue and didn't dare to look up at their faces.

Maybe he went too far with what he said. Maybe it was foolish to cling onto a possibility that was as filmy as the silk of a spider. But in the past he learnt to never give up, and he wouldn't.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to look up in Gladio's scarred face. "It's alright. Iggy has mentioned something was off with that guy's words too. Well, more than usual. Right?" He turned around to face Ignis.

Ignis nodded. "As far as I can recall the events of Altissia, Ardyn vaguely hinted at the existence of a power as great as the one wielded by the Astrals themselves. I presumed he was referring to the Ring of the Lucii, but it appears to me that it might be an entirely different power. Prompto, was there anything else he said on the matter?"

"Not that I can remember.", he replied. "But a power as impactful as the Astrals? And he called it 'Seventh', you don't think there's another deity out there, do you?", Prompto asked to himself, not expecting to get an actual answer.

"That's what came to my mind too.", Gladio said. "Hell, I can't believe we're actually discussing about trusting Ardyn's words right now. What do you think, Noct?"

"I haven't heard of another deity besides the Astrals, but considering he called it 'The Sealed' I guess no one is supposed to know." He sighed and started walking up and down the room as he always did when he was nervous or unsure what his next step would be.

Prompto thought it made no sense that Ardyn entrusted such an essential clue, assuming he genuinely wanted them to follow his hint and it wasn't one of his sick mind games, to him out of all people. Why not tell Noct? Even Gladio or Ignis were a lot more familiar with the lore of Eos origins involving the Astrals.

Despite being raised in Lucis, he only knew how much Highschool had taught him. People from the Citadel, especially the royal family who were able to receive messages passed down from the Astrals themselves, much like Noctis was able to communicate with Shiva, were given more extensive knowledge about all celestial beings.

So why him, why Prompto?

Ardyn had always been steps ahead of them and everything went according to his plan which eventually led to the dilemma the group was facing at the very moment, so could it be there was a reason he told Prompto instead of the others? Was there something only Prompto knew?

"I believe there is reason for us to look into the matter, though that is a choice only Noctis can make.", Ignis reminded them.

"The nation has already suffered for long enough. I mean...it kind of sounds promising, but we have no clue where to start looking.", Noctis answered. "I'd prefer if we...you know, put an end to it, once and for all."

His words resounded throughout the dull room and Prompto tried his best to hold his contracting, aching heart at bay. He understood. The people of Lucis suffered for ten long years, the Glaives defended their home Insomnia with their lives at stake every hour, to drag this misery on would be gruesome. Noctis wasn't acting as Noctis, he was acting as the King of Lucis.

If only they had a hint, something, even if it was merely a tiny scribbling on yellowed old paper where they could start from, but there was nothing. Prompto had to confront the inevitable truth and succumb to fate.

Nervous and subdued as he was, he started fumbling with his wristband which covered the inked barcode on his otherwise fair skin. A starting point, a clue, anything...

Suddenly, he felt as though his skin burned under the touch as the realization struck him. There was something only Prompto knew, something only he had access to.

"What if we have a starting point?", he gasped out loud and looked up to Noct who glanced back at him with expectant eyes. "What if I know where we have to go?"

"Where?", Ignis asked calmly.

"Gralea."

The following silence that fell upon the room said more than words possibly could, everyone haunted by their own memories of the sinister capital located in the heart of Niflheim. The place where Prompto was trapped in for days and had to face his appalling origins, the place where nearly all of them died fighting an overwhelming surge of daemons, the place where Noct and thus the light left the world, unveiling the everlasting darkness.

"How certain are you, Prompto? Preparing a depature to Gralea will deplete all our remaining resources to an extent we might not be able to recover from.", Ignis said carefully.

As if he didn't know that. As if he was keen to return to the place that was the embodiment of all the agony he has been put through in his life, but if he were to chose between having to face his fear or let Noct down, hell, he would voluntarily return to Niflheim for the rest of his life if that meant helping him.

Prompto wanted to reply, but Noct preempted him. "I need a moment to think about this, just...give me a minute, alright?"

"Very well.", Ignis said. "In the meantime I shall initiate further negotiations with the heads stationed in Lestallum and take care of the supply shortage. Gladio, would you please assist me?"

Gladio nodded and leaned over the reports on the table to study them and Prompto felt a little redundant as Noctis left the room so he decided to follow him.

It was a bright night outside, considering their circumstances at least, the full moon shone down on Hammarhead, granting enough light to outshine the headlights which surrounded the area. Prompto couldn't help but picture the perfect photograph of the starry sky in his head, it was one of his favourite photo scenes to capture.

He looked around, made it past the hunters who were on guard duty and finally spotted Noct who was sitting on top of an old trailor across the place. "Hey bud.", he said as he climbed the camper in a fluid motion and sat down next to him. "Sup?"

"Overthinking.", was the reply he got and Prompto let out a light chuckle.

"That's my job you know that.", he said and put his hand on Noct's who softly squeezed it in response. "Remember when we would stay up all night like this 'cause we had too much energy drinks? Specs 'n Gladdy were so done with us."

They both laughed at that and Prompto felt a wave of contenment claiming him, making Noct laugh while the apocalypse raged around them was quite an achievement. "And then I started taking pictures of every constellation while babbling about camera angles and shit. I swear, it must have been so boring for you to listen, sorry pal."

Noctis tilted his head. "Yeah I remember, didn't quite catch the stuff you were saying, but I always loved listening to you regardless."

"Is that so?", Prompto replied, flustered. "Wish we could go back and...dunno, do stupid things together and get scolded by Iggy afterwards." He laughed, a raspy, empty laugh.

Noct didn't respond and he bit his lip, maybe this wasn't the most appropriate moment for highschool reverie. "Sorry.", he mumbled. "Didn't wanna make this weird. Just, you know, good ol' times."

"It's fine." Noct looked down at their interlaced hands as if to avoid eye-contact. "It's just...I can't make this decision as Noctis, I have to decide what's best for Lucis.", he said and then shifted his attention towards the starry sky. "I thought my decision was final, but your words made me reluctant in my choice."

"My words?"

"Yeah.", he nodded. "You're right, no peace will last forever. And I can't leave you all alone to clean up the chaos I left, right? I mean, Insomnia's reconstruction is a shit ton of work."

Prompto snapped out of his stupor, blinked twice and shot his best friend a hopeful look. "Does that mean you're actually considering to go into the matter?"

"I trust you.", Noctis said. "And I know how serious you are about it if you're willing to go back to...that place." He spat those last words with disgust, the grip on his hand tightening.

After Prompto had been found by the others, bruised, beaten and menteally exhausted, Noct brimmed with anger and stridently announced to burn the entire empire down to the ground. A considerable promise, but Prompto never felt the urge for vengeance, Besithia already died by his own hands, now he just wanted to erase this part from his mind and make peace with it.

So Prompto couldn't help but smile at his words. He turned his head to the side, their gazes met for a split second and since neither of them were known for their eloquent ways to express their emotions with words, they leaned in closer until their lips met in a gentle kiss.

Over the time Prompto got used to a lot of sensations, fighting with your life at stake every day being one of them, knowing any day could be your last another, but the overwhelming excitement of Noct's lips against his and the warmth, the feeling of belonging, was something he would never get used to.

"So you can make time for another adventure with this loser just like that? Who knows what we're about to face.", he said after breathlessly pulling away from the kiss.

"The adventure is only fun when you don't know what lies ahead.", Noctis replied, lips curling up into a smug grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


	5. A Moment's Peace

As soon as Noctis declared his decision to set off to Gralea final, all four of them started to prepare the departure several days in advance, everyone contributing their part.

Ignis worked out a schedule, taking every possible obstacle which could get in their way into account and eventually came to the conclusion that it would take them at least a week to step foot in former Niflheim territory and another week to finally reach Gralea. Moreover, he also did his best to administer the available resources and adjusted the rations they'd need on their trip. The tactician once again proved to be the core of their group and the reason they lived yet to see another day.

Gladio stuck with the hunters, working on improving their accessible arsenal and modifying weapons to counter the Niflheim daemons. Daemons remained daemons, atrocious creatures of the night nevertheless, but the occurring subtype in that specific area appeared to be stronger, more resistant and working on an effective tactic to easen the upcoming battles was definetely something Gladio could figure out.

Prompto learned a lot about engineering mechanics and motors due to all the time he spent assisting Cindy, though her expertise in this field remained unmatched, she was thankful for his help and the two of them worked on a new car model. Cindy suggested to alter one of the armored jeeps to aid and protect them on their journey, much like the Regalia did and they were nearly done.

As for Noctis, Ignis instructed him to stay out of the preparations for now and rest, the aftermath of the crystal still held Noctis at bay and he struggled to match his old strength.

More days passed by until Prompto and Cindy were able to announce their new project as finalized and Cindy fell back into her old routine of keeping the headlights up while Prompto made the final adjustments. No technical adjustments though, he merely thought it'd be cool if the car was somewhat similair to the Regalia and thus added one of Cindy's custom design stickers.

"Really, the Kings Knight design?" An amused voice sounded behind him and Prompto immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Don't like it? We can add chocobo stickers too if you prefer that.", he said and turned around to Noctis who was reaching out to pinch his cheeks. Prompto tilted his head in surprise, but wasn't put off by the sudden touch at all.

Noct often lingered around when Prompto was working, keeping him company and offered to help which consisted more of Noct trying to hold his hand, ruffle through his hair or place brief pecks all over his face when no one was around rather than actually helping with the tasks. It surprised him at first, but Prompto knew they were about to get themselves into something precarious and this might be the last time they were able to share these little displays of affection.

"Your face is all dirty." Noct laughed. "What's that, engine oil?"

"Probably.", Prompto said and pulled a cloth from his pocket to wipe the oil stains off of his face. "I did the final check-up today, she's all set and ready to function as your royal escort.", he exclaimed and gestured proudly to the finished car.

"She?", Noct asked, raising a brow.

"Yup, she. I named her after Cindy, our guardian angel.", Prompto answered with a dreamy sigh.

"You're insufferable.", he groaned.

Prompto leaned against the precious car, a victorious smile plastered across his face. "Why, you jealous bro?", he teased.

"Well, I'd rather not hear the person I love gush about someone else.", he tried to sound unconcerned, but the steady flow of his voice got tangled up in the wave of insecurity that swept through it.

His choice of words bewildered Prompto.

The relationship between them was still devoid of meaning and neither of them bothered to ask the unspoken question. Noct slept next to him in Prompto's bed every day, sought out his presence just for the sake of being near him and insisted on daily cuddles, one would say that was enough of a sign for love. On the contrary, it was also a side of Noctis which would presumably astonish every other person who grew to know the royalty, but not Prompto.

Prompto knew better. Noctis carried himself like a very cold and distant person, building up a reputation around him which led people to believe he was an aloof, grim prince with little care about those beneath his status. Reality was an entirely different tale and only a handful of people knew this.

In highschool, Prompto was met with the exact opposite image of those rumors. He was met with a boy who would throw a tantrum the moment he spotted carrots in his dish, a boy who swam in a torrent of excitement upon catching even the tiniest fish in the lake, a boy who was left with poor socialisation skills because his father did his best to shield him from the outer world in order to shield him.

As time passed, the veil enshrouding Noctis faded more and more until it eventually became non-existent to Prompto and allowed him see through to his true personality. He came to know Noctis as a man who bottled up his emotions to protect those around him from worry and concern, but frequently caught himself up in moments where his emotions actually did get the better of him.

In that case, his emotions poured out of him all at once like an avalanche rolling over him, proving how difficult it was for Noctis to handle the confrontations he was forced to face after locking his feelings up for so long. With that in mind, Prompto knew how much the word 'love' coming from Noct truly meant, almost leaving him to feel a little guilty for his remarks about Cindy.

He picked his next words with caution and spoke them with sincerity. "Noct, you know I like Cindy, she helped me a lot these ten years and I'm thankful to have such a reliable friend." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "But what I feel for her doesn't go beyond that, actually, she was the first to know about my true feelings and urged me to tell you as soon as you come back."

"You know...I love you so much, at times I forgot what hating myself felt like and I could never feel that way for someone else, I didn't mean to upset you with that comment.", he finished voicing his thoughts, hoping it didn't cause the situation to become any more uncomfortable.

Prompto caught a glimpse or red flashing across Noct's face, but he quickly turned away before replying. "Uhm, maybe I overreacted a bit, sorry...but I'm glad the feeling is mutual.", he said awkwardly.

"Hey lovebirds, would ya mind hearing me out a sec?" Cindy called out from across the place, stepping closer to them and releasing the tension their previous conversation left in the air. "Your friends wanna talk to ya, sometin' about a consultation or so, dunno."

It was left unsaid, but the relief her sudden appearance resulted in was enough to easen both minds and Prompto nodded briefly, unable to form a coherent sentence which earned him an encouraging smile from Cindy before he left with Noct to meet Ignis and Gladio.

When they arrived at the scene, Gladio was threatening to drown Ignis in a surge of information about the weapons sprawled out on the floor beneath them, an unusual picture, since it was usually Ignis who was the more loquacious nature out of the two. Prompto caught a few snippets of the conversation, enough to confirm that they were discussing about which weapons to use.

Prompto shifted his attention to the stack of greatswords, spears and daggers Gladio pointed at, every piece crafted from the finest materials their current state had to offer. Despite there being no doubt about the quality of the arms, there was limited space in the vehicle and Gladio didn't seem to be fond of leaving his creations behind.

Noctis quickly offered to stow the swords in the Armiger, but Ignis reminded him of the machine which nullified his magic last time and though it was unlikely to still function after it had been damaged, it wasn't a risk anyone wanted to take.

With a sigh, Noctis raised his tone. "Iggy, Cindy said you wanted to talk to us about something?"

Ignis fixed his posture at the sound of his voice and adjusted the angle of his glasses before speaking. "Indeed, I already informed Gladio, the preparations are complete. It is time to plan the route which we will be taking, I'm sure there is no need to remind you that Gralea is located in a crater, accessible only by airship and underground tunnels."

"And we have no airship, so that means we have to wander through a maze of tunnels that is probably infiltrated with daemons by now.", Prompto concluded.

"Precisely. Though we have an approximate map of the system thanks to Commodore Highwind, the majority of the construction has suffered severe damage, leaving only a few tunnels passable.", Ignis continued, pointing at the rough sketch in front of him. "Gladio, would you continue?"

"Sure thing.", Gladio said and picked up the drawing, fingers trailing along the red lines on the paper which highlighted small parts of the maze-like structure. "Here, see that? Those are passages made specifially to send out MT troops, most are still intact and since Zegnautus Keep is inactive, we should have no trouble reaching Gralea through it. Thing is, only Prompto can open it."

The word 'MT' sent shivers down Prompto's spine, letting him feel both, hot and cold at the same time, his shoulders hung slightly rounded, hinting at the inner fragmentation he was facing. It was not an unfamiliar feeling to him, Prompto was often haunted by nightmares and the everlasting question about his humanity. Though his friends accepted him and it granted him the strength he needed to move foward, it wasn't enough to let himself move on.

He dared to hope he could evade using his barcode ever again.

"Sure thing, no prob!", he managed to get out, trying to sound as jaunty as he normally did, but anyone in the room could recognize how torn and distorted he sounded.

Noctis shot him a concerned look which Prompto returned with a small nod.

Clearing his throat, Gladio continued. "The route we'll be taking is pretty much decided then. We really owe Aranea one for her help. What about the car?"

"All set.", Prompto replied. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as I'm done loading the car with all necessities, so probably tomorrow evening. Iggy and I will take care of that, you two go and enjoy your togetherness." Prompto knew that behind the implication of mockery in his voice was Gladio's way of shaking off tension.

Too flustered in result of being caught, Noct murmured a small 'Thank You' to his companions before leaving the room with Prompto.

"Are we really that obvious?", he whined. "First Cindy, now Gladio and Ignis."

"Seems like it.", Noctis shrugged. "Let's enjoy the last moments of peace before we dive head over heals into a new disaster."

"Damn right you are buddy."

No sooner said than done, they retreated back to Prompto's room, which had inarguably become their room, and used the remaining time to clog the memory card of his camera with silly pictures until it beeped and a message saying that all disk space had been used popped up on the screen.

The next night set in as one of the darkest as the new moon rose above the sky, the only light could be attributed to the headlights. They said their goodbye to Cindy and Talcott, promising to come back in one piece before getting in the car. It was truly a massive jeep, the space in the drivers seat vast enough to host a big guy like Gladio who was their driver as assigned by Ignis.

Originally, Prompto was supposed to be driving, but they quickly opted for Gladio instead in order for Prompto to operate the installed artillery atop the car, a detail Cindy worked out and put the window in the cars roof to a better use. Though the integrated car headlights were as bright as their technology allowed to hold the daemons off, they would have been rather defenseless against larger hoards of daemons if it weren't for Prompto's sharpshooter skills.

Passing by the abandoned, ravaged landscapes of Leide evoked a feeling of guilt in Prompto, he remembered fighting off dozens of daemons to evacuate the citizens to safety and how ungodly the sight had been. He remembered their bodies scattered all over the dirty ground, paralyzed at the view and Gladio trying to wrench him away from the scenario. He wondered if the remains of said night were still apparent and gulped at the thought of finding rotten limbs if he were to step outside on the former battleground.

They had been on the road for about six days by now and Noct was soundly asleep next to him, head resting against his shoulders and mouth slightly ajar. Apart from a few daemons that drew too close to the car and which Prompto could easily take down with precisely aimed shots, nothing notable happened and he finally allowed his tired eyes to fall shut, listening to the calming sound of the pouring raindrops and silently thanked the Six for the peaceful ride.

That was until he was roused by Ignis hastily sounding voice who vehemently called attention to the four iron golems which had emerged from the shadows right in front of them. Prompto fought against the haze of fatigue that was still enclosing him to take the situation he woke up to in.

Gladio who had gotten four hours of sleep at most in the past days, and that was Prompto being generous with his estimate, reacted too late to evade the menacing collosion with the golems.

"Shit!", Gladio yelled, his attempt to roughly pivot the steering wheel last minute was of no avail and Prompto instinctively used his body to shield Noctis, who had finally begun to wake up from his slumber, but still oblivious to the state they were in, from the forceful impact that followed.

His head crashed against the window, punching the air out of him but he was given no break to recover from the stinging pounding in his head as he felt the car sledding uncontrollably along the watery road, unable to come to a halt yet. "Get out!", another yell, Ignis' voice this time. Gladio somehow managed to slow the car down at least and helped Ignis to jump out of the vehicle, summoning his weapons to distract the daemons and buy time.

The relentless storm continued to roar outside and more golems approached the car with heavy footsteps, swords hovering above the ground, ready to deliever a devastating blow and Prompto, unable to form a helpful thought and driven by sheer instinct, finally managed to free Noctis and himself from the seat belts just in time to dodge the first strike of the golems sharp blade.

A quick glance outside the window revealed the next mischief they were to be plagued by, the car came to a halt not mere steps away from the steep slope they were driving on like he hoped, but right on its edge. Another blow hit the cars hood, the force of it causing the jeep to breach through the rusty iron fence and thus the last barrier between them and the abyss.

Eyes wide with fear, Prompto realized just how bad the situation had become in the blink of an eye. The car was canting downward the hillside, pivoting weakly on its axle.

And they were trapped in it.

Escaping through the front door would led them right into the arms of the daemons which continued to spawn around them and Prompto knew they wouldn't make it in time before being slashed into half by their swords. Not to mention their movement would doubtlessly push them over the edge and escaping through the backseat door was the same - an open gate to fall to their death.

There was no time for proper decision making, reacting by impulse, Prompto yanked the backseat door open and dragged Noctis, who looked just as helpless, with him. He could only pray to the Astrals that his assumption was right and the slope was wet enough to let them slide down the mud instead of helplessy casting demise upon them.

Unfortunately, he sucked at making reasonable choices.

They didn't slide down as he hoped they would, they fell. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, Noct, don't let go!", Prompto screamed, panic and fear riddling his voice and he pulled Noctis into a tight embrace, a wretched effort to use his body as shield once again.

He couldn't tell how long their fall lasted. It felt endless, the wind engulfed him in a sweet hug as though to taunt his reckless action and Prompto closed his eyes. He expected his back to crash with the rigid ground any second, but it never came. Instead, a flash of blue lightning caught him, alleviating the clash with the cold soil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


	6. Like A Wounded Animal

Something blew up with a blast awfully close to his ears. A rumble rattled through the ground beneath him, shaking him awake with force. Prompto felt his own body ablaze, whether it was the agony residing in his limbs or actual flames igniting him, he could not tell the pain apart.

A loathsome smell of charring metal and rubber creeping into his nose was enough to finally let his eyes snap open and the fuming air caused them to fill with tears in an instant, his eyes were burning. It was, however, not enough to regain full consciousness of his surroundings nor of why there was suddenly a dark outline hanging above him, moving rapidly as if to fight something off.

Prompto squinted, then blinked frantically to regain his vision and though it was still blurry, he could make out Noctis' messy raven hair.

There were muffled sounds coming from the shadow, Noctis, but all that pervaded his ear was an obtrusive beeping sound, so loud it filled up his head and caused the ache to worsen, he coulnd't focus. A foreign force dragged his torpid body away, Prompto could only do so much and register the scorching heat around him become less and the caustic smell fading along.

Then, a cold liquid splashed all over his face, pressing the final button that was needed for him to violently jolt upwards and regain control over his body. Noctis instinctively backed away before their heads clashed.

"Gods, Prompto, for a second I thought- can you hear me?" Noctis interrupted himself, eyes widening with concern.

He could hear him, but they way he did was alarming. Noct's voice sounded far off, muffled and dull as if they were floating in a bubble subsea and his otherwise soft timbre was ultimately drowned in the loud ringing in his head which slowly began to turn into screeching.

Disorientated, he tried to put the mazed fragments in his mind back into one piece, letting his clouded gaze wander over his body. The first detail he caught were small, delicate cuts dotting his freckled arms. He watched them close up until they were no more and then he realized - the cold water must have been an elixir, Noctis did not use it to wake him up, but to heal him.

Prompto didn't remember where the cuts came from. Did he miss a battle? How much time had passed?

Now he was the one whose eyes flickered with worry, then fear and finally he scanned Noctis distressed figure for any sign of injuries, fortunally, his worry did not prove true. Not a single scratch crossed Noct's flawless appearance and Prompto allowed himself a deep sigh of relief.

"Noct what-", he stopped. His voice was strange. It sounded hoarse and hurt the back of his throat like a myriad of needles puncturing his skin.

"It's alright.", Noctis placed a finger on his lips, urging him to remain silent, his own voice trembled as he spoke. "I'm so sorry I messed up I...I nearly got you killed because I coulnd't warp both of us away.", he said and shifted his attention to a point in the distance.

Prompto followed Noctis' gaze and caught sight of what seemed to be the source of his bad condition and in a flash the disarranged chunks in his mind merged together and formed one coherent piece.

Mere steps away from the sleep they crashed down, battered and scattered, rested the remains of what was once their jeep. Pieces of metal and shattered glass lined the soil with shards and weak flames emitted from it which slowly quenched in the pouring cold rain. Despite his throbbing head and the tinnitus in his ear, caused by the impact that followed the explosion, he assumed, Noctis saved his life again.

The silence on the part of Prompto dragged on until he could see the guilt in Noctis' eyes mirror his own. "Damn it Noct! Why are you apologizing? I would be crushed to dust by that car if it weren't for you." He reached out to grab Noct's hand, locking gazes with him. "I'm sorry for making such a stupid decision, I nearly got both of us killed."

"You know what? Let's just accept this day went from bad to worse and figure out how we can get back to the others.", Noctis said, pointing upwards to where Ignis and Gladio were still fighting. "You feeling okay? Need another elixir?"

Prompto shook his head and immediately regretted it, with a groan, he replied: "I'm alright, save the elixirs." His head hurt, but the pain was too light to hint at a concussion and the ringing in his ear would fade in a bit, so he figured it was best to save their leftover potions for emergencies.

That didn't seem to convince Noct. He could tell by his excoriating demeanor, he didn't need to say anything, it was obvious he was scolding Prompto for casting his own well-being aside once again because he feared being a burden, a recurring issue Prompto attempted to fix countless times already.

"Don't give me that look.", Prompto said. "S'alright, really." Noctis remained silent, expression firm and Prompto was well aware of his friends stubbornnes so he confidently tried to jump back on his feet, ignoring how everything around him seemed to spin and dark spots gathered to blur his vision.

A rash choice. Prompto toppled over, his legs too feeble to carry his weight yet and was about to hit the ground for a second time this night if it weren't for Noct's arms catching him. "Yeah, you're 'fine'.", he snarled and pulled an elixir from the Armiger, smacking it against Prompto's chest the next instant.

Sighing, Prompto wanted to argue further, but gave in as soon as the feeling of magic flowing through his veins showed its effects and dissolved every ounce of pain. "How many elixirs are left?", he asked worriedly.

Noctis closed his eyes, concentrating on something Prompto couldn't put into words, but he knew Noctis was focusing on his magic, specifically the Armiger. "Five.", he answered dryly. "We had about twenty when we set off and I used two on you."

Prompto froze. "That means Ignis and Gladio..."

"Yeah.", Noctis said and looked up to the cliffs edge. "I hope they're doing okay."

Losing a member of the group or being forced to split up was nothing they wanted to think about when planning their departure, Ignis however, mentioned how likely it would be to happen in regards of where they were heading to and made sure to come up with a solution. In that case, the solution he perceived to be best was firing a flare gun to locate each others position and to indicate their current status, for that they determined three colours.

A yellow flare indicated an emergency, a severe injury or an abnormal powerful daemon blocking the way.

A red flare declared the mission as failed.

A green flare meant no serious harm was done and the group would continue to advance to the defined location and meet up.

Prompto looked down at his gun holster, between his beloved Quicksilver and Death Penalty pistols rested the flare gun, glancing back at him, begging him to be fired. All of them carried a flare gun which made it rather unsettling to see the sky above them clear from green smoke and Prompto could only hope they'd somehow respond if he was the first to fire.

"Noct?", he asked, holding up the green flare.

"Fire it and then let's get moving before the daemons notice us.", Noctis agreed.

It verged on the miracolous to have remained hidden from the daemons blood-starved claws until now when they had been vulnerable and exposed like this and Prompto didn't want to push their luck. He quickly loaded the flare gun and aimed at the clouded sky, firing it and watched how it rose up in the air with a loud hissing sound. Green smoke lit up the endless night, but there was no time to stand and wait, they had to get moving.

If Ignis and Gladio saw the flare they'd meet up with them at the gates of Gralea, just as planned. Even if they were now seperated from Prompto who functioned as their key and had to take the more dangerous path through the civilian tunnels, he could do nothing but trust their will to survive was strong enough to make it.

"Where even are we? Are we close to Gralea already?", Noct asked.

Prompto snorted. "Did you not see the great bridge we crossed? Actually, no surprise there, you were busy playing sleeping beauty for half the ride."

"That means we're almost there.", he replied, ignoring Prompto's remark, but his lighthearted eye-roll wasn't left unnonoticed and Prompto smiled quietly before focusing again.

They moved forward through the valley that laid below the Imperial mainland, a vast open canyon and the railways they used during their first visit hung above them.

Prompto was sure the spot where Noctis pushed him off the train into the snow desert only laid a few traces back and shuddered at the thought.

Every step they took fueled his already boiling anxiety, every sound, distant or close, sent cold waves of insecurity down his spine and he became painfully aware that he wouldn't be strong enough to protect Noct in a serious battle. No matter how much he honed his skills, no matter how often he pushed himself to his limits, Prompto alone was not enough. 

Unlike Gladio, he wasn't blessed with enormous physical strength and he couldn't withstand as many hits with his scrawny body and neither did he have the tactical understanding and calm composure of Ignis, he was aware his skills to survive were still inferior to theirs and even ten years of constantly living on a battleground was not enough to make up for the years of training his friends received. He felt the pressure growing heavier, settling in his unstable mind.

In case they were dragged into a fight, he would do his best to protect Noct even if it meant his own death, but the fear of not being enough never left him, he simply became better at concealing it and not even Noctis seemed to notice his self-doubt anymore.

With Noctis right by his side he sneaked through the thicket, taking cover every time a noise tore through the silence and every time Prompto held his breath and crouched in fear of being spotted.

"If I remember the map correctly, we are almost there.", Noctis whispered after a while. Neither his nor Prompto's sense of orientation proved to be really useful in the past, it had always been Gladio who led them out of mazes and dungeons alike.

And yet they had to trust in their own abilities, what other option did they have? Prompto hoped Ignis' constant reminder to study the details on the map until it was anchored deep within their brain would show its effects.

As they continued stumbling forwards and the mist the rain had left behind grew bolder, worsening their sight until he had to hold onto the tip of Noctis' jacket to make sure they wouldn't lose each other in the fog, a red light flickered in the distance.

Prompto knew it was one of those lights next to the entrance terminal that would turn green after the system linked to it scanned and identified his bardcode and it meant the Magitek facility they were looking for was right ahead of them.

"Noct, over there.", he nodded towards the light. As they approached, the contours of the concrete building surfaced in the fog.

Noctis glanced upwards, "I can try to warp us up there.", he paused, wiping wet strands of hair out of his face, "But-"

A loud cracking sound, way too close to their position, cut Noctis off. It was followed by a shrill scream and reverberated in the night.

Prompto reacted on instinct, his hand reached down to enclose the barrel of his Quicksilver pistol. The cold metal against his skin felt reassuring, almost anodyne and aimed at whatever was emerging in the shadows.

Black goop oozed out of the creature, it was downright drenched with it and seemed to incite its burning lust for blood and death. It was unlike anything they had encountered before and despite its outer appeareance resembling a Yojimbo, it was enthralled by the scourge, almost like it dwelled inside the daemon.

The first shot hit, piercing through it's head, but it didn't even stagger the slightest bit, if anything, it was as tough the daemon swallowed the bullet, absorbing it. Prompto couldn't even think of a possible maneuver to counter it as the Yojimbo charged towards him within seconds, wielding the sharp blade of its Katana and ready to cut through his smooth skin.

Prompto dodged just in time, a quick flash of blue in the corner of his eyes told him Noctis evaded the strike by warping away and allowed him to put some distance between him and the creature.

"Noct?", Prompto called out.

"Yes.", Noctis replied, cut short.

It was more of a clarification than a question and it was all Prompto needed to hear to know how they would proceed from here.

Though their enemy was an unknown blend of scourge and daemon, a surely tenacious beast, the fight was not hopeless. They were used to each other's attack patterns and movements, Prompto was aware of the way Noctis fought, adapted to it and over time they completemented each other like jigsaw pieces.

Their strategy was plain and worked without commands.

Prompto shoved the Quicksilver back into his holster and grabbed the machine gun he had draped on his back, always staying in motion while doing so and ready to dodge another attack. He wasn't sure how much ammunition was available to him in the Armiger, so the current bullets in the rifle's magazine would need to suffice.

He must not miss a single shot.

Before the daemon could launch another attack, Prompto aligned the barrel and sent a volley of bullets through its body. The recoil barely bothered him anymore, his aim was consistent and perforated the scourge-infested flesh.

That was all he had to do, distract the daemon and draw the attention to him until Noctis could breach through its weakened defense and strike it down with a single warp attack. Or at least that was how it was supposed to work.

Noctis, who hid in the beasts dead angle until now, gripped the chance and warped through the air. Brandishing his father's glowing blade, he hit the daemon with so much force it roared and staggered in great agony.

For a moment they thought it was over and Prompto was able to respire again, trying to catch his ragged breath and come down from the adrenaline high his body was going through.

The moment did not last long.

What they took for wails of torment and defeat turned out to be screams of boiling rage, the Yojimbo overflowed with scourge, even more than it had before until it was subjected by it. A terrifying sight. His muscles succumbed to fear as he watched the daemon mutate in front of them, it grew malformed limbs and a black layer coated it like a firm armor. Before Prompto even knew what he had witnessed, it lashed out at him.

He rose his arms to cover the visceral parts of his body from the attack though he knew he couldn't withstand it regardless and closed his eyes to blind himself from the horror that unveiled in front of him.

"Prompto!", Noctis yelled and warped to him, pushing him out of range and the two clashed down on the ground, surviving another attack.

"W-what do we do? We're done for, we are so doomed, that fucking thing is gonna kill us!" Prompto's mind was fuzzy with fear, there were tears filling his eyes as he recovered from the shock. His legs felt so wobbly though he stood, but barely so.

To his dismay, Noctis looked just as frightened. "Let's try again.", he gasped out and before Prompto was able to respond, Noctis warped behind the daemon again.

With trembling fingers he pulled the two pistols from his belt, the only weapons he still had bullets for and the sheer thought of missing any of his next shots made his insides churn painfully.

He hit the first shots, then drowned the Yojimbo, or what was left of it, in a hail of bullets, a finesse he had worked on perfecting for years. It was his trump card and his last attempt to fight back. The bullets struck through it and just as he feared, were futile. He watched horrified how Noct's attempts to land a critical hit on the beast were in vain too, not even the royal arm filled with glistening light was able to defeat the darkness.

Anew, Noctis warped to dodge the deadly Katana and repositioned himself to launch a counter attack. Prompto was out of bullets. There was nothing he could do, he could only stand and watch how Noct's movements staggered, grew weaker and listen to Noctis' desperate gasping for breath resounding in the valley.

"Noct, slow down! Don't overwork your magic!", Prompto cried out in hope to reach him, but Noctis didn't slow down until what he dreaded to happen realized itself.

Noctis entered the state of a Stasis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


	7. All You Can Bleed

Nothing was worse than not being able to do anything. Prompto felt like a prisoner in his own body, held back by the firm grip of fear and frozen in shock. His body wouldn't move forward no matter how much his brain commanded it to, his legs stayed in place.

With increasing anxiety, he ran over the situation again, desperate to find a way to get Noctis out of this alive. He was out of ammo. Noctis was temporarily unable to warp thus his mobility limited. He posed an easy target to slice in half for anyone who knew how to use a sword and an even easier one for a scourge-overflowing mutated daemon.

It was Noctis' exhausted, frantic gasp which pulled him back into reality and when his eyes found him laying on the ground, chest going up and down rapidly, covered in dirt and blood, something in Prompto eventually snapped.

He felt new waves of adrenaline sweeping through his body as he pulled his melee weapon, a blade slightly bigger than a dagger he once retrieved from an imperial soldier he killed, a weapon he'd only use when he was backed into a corner with no way out.

The Yojimbo's attention was entirely focused on Noctis who was scuttling away from it, not fast enough to evade the next strike yet still managed to roll sidewards and Prompto could have sworn to see a few strands of raven hair falling down, cut by its sword, that's how close it was to slashing his neck.

When it launched for the next attack and Noctis could only do so much as hold his sword in front of his chest to block it and hope for the best, Prompto finally leapt to close the gap between them and swung his shortsword to counter, repelling the attack.

The sound of metal colliding against metal echoed in the valley, their blades were grating adamantly while fighting for the upper hand. Prompto refused to stagger, he clutched the handle of his weapon with unshakable determination, the sheer thought of losing Noctis was his only source of strength and it was enough to fuel his militancy.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hold it off for long, the daemons mighty Katana vastly superior to his nearly dull blade. But it didn't matter, he just needed to buy time. Buy time until Noctis recovered enough to warp to safety.

In the heat of the moment Prompto didn't pay attention to the Magitek facility towering behind them, it only occured to him now that they had moved closer to it. Close enough to be in warp range.

Prompto glanced over his shoulder, down at Noctis. "Noct, can you get up? Look, behind us!", he nodded towards the red light now flickering brighter, more than it had before.

"Got it!", Noctis panted.

Another nerve-wrecking sound tore from the daemons throat, a snarl filled to the brim with the desire to kill that when Prompto met with the daemons eyes, it paralyzed his body for a split second. It was feral and it was the last thing he heard before a newly founded force pushed him back and caused him to lose his balance. He stumbled, the muscles in his arms and legs were no longer able to bear the strain of the battle and when the creature drew back for another blow, the Katana cut through him before he could react to it.

In the same moment Noctis' arms clasped his torso, yanking him away before another deadly attack hit him. A strange sensation followed by a familiar light dazzled him and reality shifted around him, changing his surroundsings from the dark pit they'd fought in to a platform-like concrete surface.

"Prom, the terminal.", Noctis coughed out. He was barely holding it together and Prompto became uncomfortably aware that he warped them both away again and he witnessed first-hand how painful overworking his magic was for Noct.

Nodding, Prompto dragged his battered body to the terminal and pressed his wrist down on the scanner.

"MT-Unit NH-01987 identified. Access granted.", the robotic voice announced and the light switched from red to green, opening the metal gate.

The tunnel which opened in front of them was narrow and grim, no light shed the passage, it was anything but welcoming. And yet they gathered their last bits of strength to drag their bodies from the ground and stumble into the empty hallway.

With the door closing behind them, Prompto was finally able to breathe freely again. He looked at Noctis who was leaning against the wall, trying to collect his breath. His shoulders were trembling and hunched and he could make out a few small cuts on his arms in the dim glow of their flashlights. Though nothing was bleeding, Prompto wanted to take care of them and opened his mouth to tell Noct.

No words came out. But instead, a pained whine forced its way out and when Prompto glanced down his entire stomach turned upside down and the events before Noct warped him away caught up to him.

His hands as well as his shirt and parts of his trousers were covered in fresh, hot blood. It was all over his body, spilling out of a clean cut which seperated the skin of his abdomen. So he didn't imagine it after all, the last slash of the Katana hit him. He felt sick, weak, the gory liquid smelled like death and when he looked at his tainted hands, nausea crashed down on him with such frantic force, his body was unable to withstand it.

"H-hey, Noct, s-something feels not right.", he said limply.

His body lurched a few more steps forward, propelling itself and his arms reached out in a last attempt to touch Noctis before every muscle finally gave in and he collapsed. The ground was cold and unwelcoming, bleak plates of metal that reminded him of the Magitek infantry building where he met Verstael.

And with the sudden realisation he felt the horror of that time surface once more, he lived through it again, saw vivid images of himself wandering in endless corridors with MTs waiting around every corner.

He didn't want to die in a place like this. Not here.

"Prom what- oh my God!" Noctis rushed to his side and lifted Prompto until his upper body leaned against the wall. His vision lost its sharp edges, but it was still enough to study the blank expression of terror in Noct's face. "Focus on my voice Prom, don't close your eyes. Stay with me."

Prompto did as he was told. Or at least, he tried. He let his gaze wander over Noctis' face, capturing every detail he fell in love with from the mole below his lips to the tiny delicate scar on his cheekbone, a present from an overly eager coeurl.

To others, these blemishes might seem like flaws, but Promtpo loved every single one and it distracted him from the pain gushing up inside him when Noctis tugged at the blood soaked fabric of his shirt that clung onto the cut to get a better look at the injury.

Waves of stinging anguish rolled over him when air touched his open wound that was now freed from the wet cloth. He let out pained whimpers and the guilt in Noctis face was all too bare.

"It's not too deep.", Noctis stated, cut short. He shifted in position and began to tear the sleeves of his shirt off until it formed a long shred of fabric.

A potion could cure the cut, but it did not work miracles. He had already lost a critical amount of blood and they needed to stop the stop the flow, those words were written all over Noct's face, it was like an open book.

On top of that, one potion would not suffice and Prompto knew they were short on medical equipment. How many did they have left? He didn't know, was not able to find any information in his worn out mind, it was blank, empty, forlorn in the haze of blood loss.

The cloth ripped from Noctis' shirt served him as compression bandage, stopping the now thinning stream of blood. It pressed down on his wound, his stomach, strangling him for the air he was so desperate to get into his lungs that his first instict was to tear it off to be able to breathe.

A soft touch on his shoulder reminded him of the situation he was in again and stopped him, he let his hands sag down before he could loosen the bandage. "Prompto, look at me.", Noct said as he summoned an elixir from the Armiger. "It's going to be okay."

He cracked the potion over Prompto's abdomen and let the icy-blue flares settle down on him. It tingled and Prompto felt the cut closen up slightly, but it was still there. Narrow, though not less painful, a stinging ache that errupted through his body every time he breathed.

"C'mon Noct." Prompto's voice struggled to come out. He wasn't even sure if Noctis could hear him. "Save the potions just...gimme a minute to rest and I'll be good." He never thought speaking required this much strength and closed his eyes.

"Like hell I will.", Noctis snapped right away.

Given his current state, Prompto didn't even have the energy to protest and only watched in silence how Noctis cupped his fingers again, expecting to catch the next potion that would manifest in his hand from the Armiger. Both waited for the familiar flicker of blue which never came.

Something was wrong. Noct jerked his hands in motion again, and again, but the only light in the dark tunnel was attributed to their flashlights. Then, Noctis closed his eyes and in an instant later an expression of terror and panic washed over his face.

"We're out of potions, aren't we?" Prompto could have spared his words, the look on Noct's face said it all.

Maybe he was actually going to die here. In Niflheim, in a military base. His birthplace.

He shuddered at the thought and breathed in sharply, every contraction of his muscles reminding him of the cut that tore through him, slightly less fatal after the potion, but still leaking and painful.

Then, out of nowhere, another terrifying thought struck him. If there had only been one elixir left, it meant Ignis and Gladio used the remaining ones. Prompto could only envision how relentless their daemon encounters must have been and he wondered if there were more scourge riddled creatures like the Yojimbo in this area.

He found himself imagining Ignis and Gladio laying on the ground like Noctis had when he was out of magic, deadly swords shadowing above them and just before his thoughts could convey any further, he let his eyes snap shut to stop the flood of images.

"Noct.", he whined. "You oughta find Gladio and Iggy before-"

"If you're about to imply that I should leave you here to catch up with the others don't even bother continue talking.", Noctis said, clenching his jaw, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I just got you back after all this time, I'll be damned if I lose you now."

It was what Prompto expected him to say, still, if they weren't able to reach Ignis and Gladio soon, only the Astrals could guess their fate and he didn't want to be the one responsible for that.

With shaking, wobbly legs he stirred for the first time since collapsing, using one hand to press down on his bandaged wound and the other to heave himself off the ground by trying to grip the wall. Everything spun around him, the sensation similar to the way reality bended around him whenever Noctis warped, and a new surge of nausea overcame him.

There was no source of strength left in his body he could draw from to drag himself foward, his legs were about to give again and Noctis quickly looped an arm around his shoulder, preventing him from falling.

"I will carry you through this entire hellhole if I have to." Noctis shifted and adjusted his own weight, regaining his balance and helped Prompto take on step after step.

Even with Noct's support, every movement was a battle to fight. Prompto knew Noctis was beyond exhaustion at this point too, there was no way he'd fully recovered after depleting his magic to the extent he had and the sporadic, heavy lifting and lowering of his chest only confirmed what he'd already feared.

And like this, they moved on for a long, long while. Prompto couldn't tell whether it had been hours already or his dizzy brain was just toying with his perception, but the corridors they were trying to leave behind saw no end to it.

Every time they rounded a corner, a new dark hallway stretched before them. It was the same maze all over again, dull, sterile walls and narrorw spaces Prompto used to fear so much when he was little he'd sit down, put his head between his legs and shake and cry until someone found him.

Even now as a grown man the walls felt claustrophobic to him as if they were arching and bending closer to him, taking up all the space and leaving him none to breathe.

Though he knew it was merely a figment created by his fragile mind, exhaustion and the imminent dehydration, it had been nearly two days since the car crashed and thus the last time they had something to drink, panic crept into his mind, settling down.

"Noct, I can't.", he croaked, trying to explain his condition with only a few words.

His breathing began to race, hectic, frantic and with such intensity it reverberated through the whole of him and he coulnd't stop it, couldn't slow it down. He gripped the fabric of his shirt right where his pounding heart was seated underneath as though to rip it out and make it stop.

"Prom, it's gonna be alright, please. You're not alone." Noctis slowly let go of Prompto, giving him more space.

In every other situation Prompto would have protested and pulled him closer again, but in that moment he was grateful Noctis was able to read and understand the cause of his panic attack and acted accordingly. Even if it was Noctis, his beloved King, every kind of physical contact made him feel caged

"Breathe in slowly, like me, can you do that for me?" Noctis' voice sounded comforting, soft and let him know he was understood.

Prompto nodded weakly.

Noctis then started breathing in slowly, even and out again, steady and Prompto tried to focus on the rhythm of it. They'd been in this situation before, long time ago in high school. Prompto thought back.

It was after school had ended, he wanted to leave the building but forgot his camera and went back to the classroom to get it. There were four people, the same four people who bullied him whenever Noctis wasn't around.

They put him in a locker, barred it and left. He was there for nearly two hours and when Noctis finally found him, he was a shaking and crying mess. And because Noctis himself suffered from reoccurring panic attacks ever since he found himself laying on the ground in a puddle of blood, his nanny killed by a daemon besides him, he knew how to cope in such a situation.

Just like back then, Prompto focused on Noctis, let his presence guide him until he felt the lump in his throat die down and his heart didn't feel like jumping out of his chest anymore.

"Sorry.", Prompto whispered once reality welcomed him back and freed him from his stupor. "Let's just keep moving."

"Nothing to be sorry for."

The cold metal hallways still frightened him when he looked up and tried to stand up straight. It was still menacing, how there was nothing but darkness ahead on their path and Prompto had to cut himself off before drowning in another flood of fear.

"We should be reaching the control room soon, then you can rest, just hang on a little longer." At first, those words sparked a glimmer of hope in Prompto. But this was the third time Noctis mentioned the control room in the center of this maze they should have reached many junctions ago.

And the first time he said this had been at least an hour ago.

Somewhere they took the wrong turn, Noctis knew they did, he just concealed it because he didn't want to unsettle Prompto.

"Sure buddy, I got this.", Prompto said, disregarding his condition.

Disregarding the burning agony that resided in his abdomen and seemed to increase the more he moved or his aching muscles that felt like an old worn out sponge, volatile and battered.

Eventually, Prompto depended on Noctis entirely, he couldn't even limp anymore as exhaustion reached its peak and prevented him from doing anything, even keeping his eyes open felt like the toughest struggle and he wasn't sure for how long he was able to keep this fight up.

Then, the light in the hallway altered. It was no longer illuminated by the pale light of their flashlights, but by a fluorescent tube bulb, faint and nearly giving out. It hung above a metal plate which he recognized as another terminal. Could it be the finally reached the control room?

"Hey Prom, lend me a hand?"

Prompto would have laughed at this terrible joke under different circumstances, but instead his lips curled up into a barely visible smile that fainted away in the blink of an eye as he pressed his wrist on the terminal and the same robotic voice echoed in the passage, granting them access.

Ahead of them was a vast space, rusted metal plates covered the walls and a circular table which looked like a control panel sat in the middle of the room. It was grimy, some buttons were dented, some others were missing completely and the metallic stench of blood filled the air.

Noctis lowered him on the chair in front of the table and began to examine the controls. If they were lucky, the button to open the main gate still worked and they could leave the Magitek facility behind and finally reach the city of Gralea.

Prompto closed his eyes, his chest felt heavy and foreign to him, like it was not a part of his own body anymore, just an external weight and before he realized what was happening, his body jerked forward and his stomach emptied itself on the floor.

The taste in his mouth was a horrendous mix between bile and blood. Coughing and spitting more blood, Prompto tried to stay conscious at all costs. If his eyes closed now, there was no guarantee they would open again.

A light weight was placed on his shoulder - Noctis' hand, surely - but when he looked up, his gaze locked with the eerie red eyes of an MT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was supposed to be different but then I found out Prompto is canonically afraid of heights and narrow spaces and I can relate way too good to that so here we go :>
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nvkaharas) !


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